Sunday, September 30, 2012

Cravings, they come and go but we are stronger than that. Just because we want something does not mean that we have to have it. There is something known as restraint. If we know that we are dieting and trying to keep the momentum going, perhaps it is better to not go for the thing that our stomachs crave and instead, stick to the plan.

Like yesterday, I was on my way home from a long, producive day and felt the hunger pangs coming on. I started craving almost everything you could think of from barbecue chicken patties to popeyes and pizza. I guess that was my own fault being that the only thing I had for the day was a luna bar and a kiwi. By the evening time, I had to have something.

There is nothing wrong with pizza which I got tempted to have but I feel at this moment in my journey which after two months of not eating meat, rice, pasta or bread has lead to me to losing 15 pounds, that I had to keep doing what I've been doing to maintain. No bread. Pizza has bread in it.

When I got home, I decided to get into the kitchen and cook. Of course I piled up on my usual veggies adding some black beans to it, but still my craving for pizza lasted. So I made my own version of breadless pizza using baby carrots, diced red peppers, mozzarella cheese, homemade hot sauce and tomatoes, garlic and basil sauce and that was my substitute for pizza and you know what; it satisfied the craving.

We do not have to always go for the things that are not going to help us in our fitness goals if we are trying to accomplish something. I say, if you want to truly do something positive to keep yourself grounded, don't give into temptation for bad foods; subsititute and make it better and more geared to your lifestyle.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

I decided I wanted to get into the kitchen today and make
some of my favorite foods because I deserve it after all my working out and
abstaining from the foods I used to eat.

Meat and rice are two of the foods that I have been
abstaining from.I eat them only on
special occasions. Since today was not one of those days, I decided to take
foods from the things that I do eat and make them interesting. My diet nowadays consists mostly of vegetables, fruits, fish or seafood and nuts. One of my
favorite things I always loved to have is a Haitian dish known as Mais
Moulen.It can be translated to corn
meal in English. I also love salmon. So I decided to make a meal that included
the two and the finished product was excellent.

Corn meal has always been my favorite food. My
nutritionist told me that it is not a bad grain to have which is helpful for this
crazy diet I am on.Haitian folks cook
cornmeal like rice.I could just eat it
plain with a little butter on it but sometimes I like it with bean sauce, djon
djon which is also known as dried black mushrooms in English or mixed with beans. I decided to make it mixed with black beans. It is easy to make and does not require much ingredients to complete the meal. I can have it anytime; even
for breakfast. Whatever time you do have it though, mais moulen is always delicious.

Since I am not eating meat, I have to improvise
with beans, nuts and fish to get the necessary protein my body needs. And since
I love salmon, what a great way to have the foods I love
and on a day when I am home and able to cook whatever I want with the time I
want or need to cook. I decided to bake the salmon over vegetables. What is great about this meal is that it is baked in its
entirety so the vegetables don't come out soggy and the juices from the salmon
drip upon it to give the legumes an incredible flavor. Also, the salmon comes
out almost as if it were fried with the garlic, onions and salt it is coated with.Pretty good meal for a Saturday evening. Both the salmon and the corn meal can be prepared and eaten separately but
I made it as a meal and here is the recipe.

Mais Moulen avec Pois Noire

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Calories: 361 calories per serving

4 Calories from fat

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

1 bag of fine yellow Corn meal1 can of goya black beans

canned stewed tomatoes

1 tspn garlic powder

1 tspn onion powder1 packet of sazon con azafran

1 tspn salt

1 tbsp butter

Instructions

First you take a medium sized pot and fill 3/4 of it with water and place it over a medium fire. Add a bit of oil to the water so that the corn meal will not stick to the bottom.Add a tspn salt, one packet of sazon, a tspn of garlic powder and a tspn of onion
powder. Add the canned black beans. Take four stewed tomatoes from the can, cut them in half and add them to the water.Bring the water to a boil and add corn meal.

Corn meal must be stirred constantly so that it will not
stick to the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring it and add a little butter to it
to help bring it to an even softer texture.Let the contents of the pan sit on a low fire for another 15 minutes and
you can serve it.

Can also be served as a vegetarian dish.

Baked Salmon over Vegetables

Cooking time: 60 minutes

Calories: 300 calories per serving

53 calories from fat

Serving Size:4

Ingredients

4 salmon cutlets

1/3 bag of frozen collard greens

8 artichoke hearts

1/3 bag of frozen green beans

1 large whole tomato

1 cup of raw radishes

1/2 can of sliced black olives

a handful of mushrooms

3/4 of a medium red onion

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp butter

Instructions

Set the oven at 425.Get a medium baking pan and layer the bottom of it with collard greens.
Top it with green beans.Add a few
artichoke hearts to each corner of the pan.Slice the radishes and layer the contents with it.Add mushrooms and olives.Slice the tomato and add a layer above the vegetables.

In a dish add salt, garlic powder and onion powder.Take the Salmon, sit it in the plate and coat
both sides of the salmon with the spices. Place the spiced salmon above the vegetable
content.

Slice the red onion and add a ringlet above each salmon
cutlet.Add a piece of the tbsp of
butter above each piece of salmon.

Place the content of the baking pan into the oven and let it
cook for one hour.

Optional:Grab some hot peppers and place them in a
jar.Add a little bit of oil and place
it into the refrigerator.Let it cool
and set into the flavoring for about a day or so prior to using it to
cook.Use that as a spice for the
vegetables.

Monday, September 3, 2012

It has been a month since I started my new lifestyle. I
have had one cup of coffee this entire month. For me, that's big considering I used to drink about two to three cups a day. I still have yet to have bread,
but I did have meat, rice and pasta. Summer is full of barbecues so,
I did indulge because it is not an everyday thing; just a sometimes thing.On an ordinary day though, my diet is mainly
fruits, vegetables, beans and maybe fish.

A few years back, my sisters and I went on a trip to Los
Cabos, Mexico.That was where I
discovered my favorite fish. Mahi Mahi just has that pleasing taste that I
haven’t found in no other. They call it dolphin-like meat. The fish is very
meaty and I absolutely love it. I was so happy to find it on sale last week. Made me want to buy it and since I cook every day, I decided to create a dish using it.

Baked
Mahi Mahi and Vegetables

10
oz Mahi Mahi steak

Tomatoes

Garlic

Collard
greens

mushrooms

Red and
green peppers

Carrots

Onions

Radishes

Lemon
juice

Butter

In a Medium Oven Tray, Cover the bottom of the tray with
collard greens , radishes, carrots and mushrooms.Cut the Mahi Mahi steak in half and season it
with garlic, a teaspoon of butter and sprinkle it with lemon juice. Place over vegetables. Cover the Mahi Mahi
with green peppers, onions, and tomatoes. Set the oven at 425 and let cook in
the oven for about 45 minutes.Serves
two.

A nutritionist once told me that the more colorful the variety of vegetables in a dish the better. So hence the different vegetables in this dish. Comes out very flavorful with the juices from the Mahi Mahi seeping into the collard greens. Goes well with a glass of Pinot Grigio or even a nice tall cup of hot tea.

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About Me

A Medgar Ever College Magna Cum Laude Graduate in English/Professional writing who loves to write and who is trying to expand on my abilities as a writer, in every sense of the word. Also a singer who writes songs. I enjoy being on stage and entertaining people. I love to have a good time and I enjoy being immersed in the processes that enables my talents to come alive.
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